Groundhog's Day to be Next Start for Maybry's Boy and Werblin

Spectacular Bid Stakes (gr. III) winner Maybry's Boy will make his next start in the $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II, Feb. 2), according to trainer Claude "Shug" McGaughey. Meanwhile on the West Coast, undefeated Werblin will also make his next start on Groundhog's Day, that coming in the San Vicente (gr. II).

Randy Hill's Maybry's Boy earned his first stakes win in the six-furlong Spectacular Bid and will stretch out an additional furlong in the Hutcheson. Maybry's Boy tallied his maiden win in a seven-furlong race at Aqueduct in November.

McGaughey said Maybry's Boy is still learning, but was pleased with his efforts in the Spectacualar Bid.

"He ran the way I thought he'd run except at the start. He broke out at the start and John (jockey John Velazquez) said he almost dropped him," said McGaughey. "But he rallied outside of horses the way I wanted and he finished well. He's still a little green but is learning how to run and he's coming along."

A son of Broad Brush, Maybry's Boy is the second foal out of Vagrancy Handicap (gr. III) runner-up Aly's Conquest, by Alydar, and the first to make the races. The $220,000 yearling purchase was bred in Kentucky by John Franks and Jonabell Farm.

Spectacular Bid runner-up Showmeitall may also make his next start in the Hutcheson.

"I thought he ran a big race and the horse that beat him may be a really nice horse," said trainer Manny Tortora, " I think Maybry's Boy may be one of the favorites for the Derby, but then again, we might have a pretty nice horse, too."

The Spectacular Bid marked the second straight time Showmeitall finished second in a track's opening day feature. On Dec. 15, the son of All Gone finished second to Bog Hunter in the $50,000 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

"We want to give some time between his races. We're not going to rush him too much," said Tortora. "There's a race coming up at Tampa at seven-eighths (Pasco Stakes, Jan. 19) but that's a little too quick for him to come back. We'll take a look at the Holy Bull (gr. III, Jan. 19) at Gulfstream, but that's probably a little too quick for him as well and I'm not sure I want him to go that far just yet. The Hutcheson may be the most likely place to run him again."

Tortora added that Showmeitall ran as a gelding in the Spectacular Bid despite being listed as a colt.

"This horse is a gelding now," he said. "He was listed as a colt in the program on (Thursday), but he is now a gelding. I tried to get them to change it for (Thursday) but I didn't get it done in time."

Meanwhile in California, Aaron U. and Marie D. Joneses Werblin breezed three furlongs on a foggy morning Friday at Santa Anita, getting the distance in :38 1/5 for trainer Eduardo Inda.

"You can't do much on a day like today," said Inda, referring to the fog. "About all you can do is work them down the lane. But once you get to know your horse, you can see if they're running well."

Thus far in his brief career Werblin has run well enough to win both his starts, including a 1 1/2-length win over a promising field in a six-furlong optional claiming race on opening day at Santa Anita. Werblin (Unbridled's Song -- Roll Over Baby, by Rollin On Over) sold for $850,000 as a yearling and recouped $55,000 of that as a juvenile.